This Land Of Ours

Planet X is a warped wasteland with large swatches of vastly differing terrains and climates. The Grand Bang warped the world forever, sizzling the seas and soaking the land itself with extremely toxic and potent energies. The largest land mass on Planet X is collectively called The Known World, and is the home of the 5 Great (and some not so great) civilizations of the world.

COMMERCE

The standard currency of the world is known as the Gold Chip, shards of dulled and charred coins used as the coin of the realm before the events of the Grand Bang. While hard currency is rather rare these days, a thriving economy of trade and barter for services is how most transactions are handled.

TRAVEL

While there aren’t exactly well-kept trails and roads in the Wasteland, the residents of Planet X find ways to keep themselves a’movin’…

Radiated Roads

By far, the most commonly used mode of Transportation on Planet X is a curious beast known as a Clucker, which is a horse-sized mutated Chicken that can be trained as a mount. Cluckers have replaced Horses as the default bestial mount of choice on Planet X, and they can be found pretty much anywhere in the world. Hardy and easily bred, your average riding Clucker costs 300 Gold Chips, though thoroughbred Cluckers, racing Cluckers and even Warcluckers have been known to sell for thousands and thousands of Gold Chips.

Smoldering Seas

The Grand Bang didn’t only screw up the land, mind you, but also polluted the seas and the endless deeps as well. The oceans of Planet X glow a vivid and sizzling green, and Mutated sea monsters dwell in the sludgy waters that await those daring (or stupid) enough to attempt to set sail. For this reason, oceanic travel on Planet X is akin to suicide. Sea travel along the coastline is often ones best bet for survival, though even this is highly dangerous. While there isn’t such a thing as “Fresh” water on Planet X, there are still a few rare streams and creeks that can sustain life. As you might expect, sources of water on the planet are viciously fought over wherever they emerge.

Sizzling Skies

Thanks to a strange floating creature known as Blish hooked up to a basket filled with passengers (much like a hot air balloon), the folks of Planet X can sail the skies in style. Travel by Blish is convenient and relatively safe (compared to facing the numerous perils of traveling by road), but must be performed in small journeys of no more than a few hours at a time. You see, ever since the Grand Bang blew up the sun and scattered fragments of it throughout the sky, it has made things quite hot, and being high up in the toxic atmosphere with fragments of the sun washing down on you is a sure way to go nuts due to a perilous condition called Sun Sickness. In game terms, someone can travel via air for half their vigor dice in hours before having to roll a Vigor Check. Failure grants them a Fatigue level due to Sun Sickness. A Fatigue level gained in this fashion goes away after d6 hours of rest on the ground. Even if you decide to fly at night, the atmosphere above ground is quite hot, imposing the same penalty.

THREATS & DANGERS

If there’s one thing that can be said about Planet X, it’s that there’s never a dull moment. Listed below are just a few of the things you ought to look out for on your travels throughout our lovely land.

Native Wildlife

So, the Grand Bang produced a crap-ton of awful, sinister beings that attack first, cannibalize second, and ask questions third. If you’d like to know specifically what kind of baddies lurk the radiated landscape, check out the Nuclear Horrors section.

Raiders & Reavers

As you might expect, lawlessness is a huge problem on Planet X, and there are endless gangs, guilds and sects devoted to robbing and plundering those weaker than themselves. There is no codified law enforcement on Planet X as a whole, and one has to look out for themselves and their belongings. Among the most feared gangs in the Wasteland, the Atomic Aces deserve special mention. These outlaws only admit the meanest and most vicious sorts into their black-hearted brotherhood.

Giant Bug-Men!

The Grand Bang was the best thing that could have happened to the vermin of the world, and nowadays, a group of folks known as Klackers “shares” the Wasteland with Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes and Ogres. Klackers (mostly) believe that Insectoid life is the new supreme being and rightful heir to the planet, and they see all non-Klackers as evolutionary relics of a long past age. Worse yet, mobs of Klacker Slavers will roam the Wasteland and capture any able-bodied “Fleshy” they can and shackle them into slavery.

The Mentarium

Warpers are beings gifted with frightening mental powers. Warpers must fuel their abilities by eating fresh brains, which makes them a bit eccentric compared to most normal folks, obviously. While most Warpers are decent sorts who only eat the brains of the recently deceased, the Mentarium are a fanatical sect of Warpers who take cruelty to a whole new level. They view all non-Warpers as unenlightened savages, only fit to feast upon. Membership in the Mentarium is highly secretive, and its spies and agents seem to infiltrate the most shocking of places in society. The Mentarium is said to be led by a mysterious figure known as “The High Mind” whose identity remains a secret to outsiders. Rumor has it that the High Mind has a telepathic link at all times with all members of the Mentarium, and can deliver orders to its agents with but a thought.

LANGUAGES

There are numerous tongues spoken on Planet X, with the most populous being listed and described below.

Chatter: The common tongue of the Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes and Ogres.

Arcanican: The hoity-toity magical tongue of the Humans (think Latin).

Primordeen: The ancient, flowery language of the Elves and ancient mystical creatures.

Dwaric: The articulate and exacting tongue of the Dwarves comprised of exceedingly lengthy words.

Gnomad: The quick, excitable tongue of the Gnomish people.

Oggish: The cruel, guttural language of the Ogres, rife with grunts, snarls and hisses.

Klackni: The chittering, insectoid-y language of the Klackers.

Slag: Many claim that the horribly irradiated Slagodons have their own method of communication, but no non-Slag has mastered the language and lived to tell about it.

What can I speak?: Starting characters begin play knowing how to speak Chatter as well as their native language. For each Smarts die you have above d4, you can also comprehend an additional language. Therefore, someone with Smarts d4 can speak Chatter and their native tongue, someone with Smarts d6 can speak Chatter, their native tongue and one extra language, and someone with Smarts d12 is fluent in Chatter, their native tongue, and four other languages.

RUINS OF ARCANICA

This is where it all went wrong, and the decimated ruins of the once-great Human Kingdom of Arcanica still smolder to this very day, sending up waves of thick, choking black smoke. In fact, the smog over the ruins are so thick that barely any sunlight can penetrate it. Howling winds whistle spookily through the endless ruins of the former seat of Arcane power in the world, a grim reminder of the price to pay for otherworldly power. A constant, never ending rain of soot and ash rains down lazily on the catastrophic ruins at all times.

While the ruins are a haven for all manner of ancient and buried treasures, as well as artifacts from time gone by, the Ruins are also the most irradiated place in the entire world. No life can be found in the Arcanican ruins, and those few who dare to venture through the rubble must make a Radiation Check for every hour they spend within the ruins, instead of every 24 hours. Lastly, many claim that ancient and glowing ghosts of long-dead Human Wizards virulently defend their treasures, but surely these are just fairy tales…

Lamazridan’s Tower: There are several haunted Wizard Towers strewn throughout the ever-smoldering Ruins of Arcanica, but this one warrants particular mention. Lamazridan was a Human Wizard of minor skill and renown in the pre-Bang days, but he was one of the few Wizards who implored his fellow spell casters to use their copious magical powers more wisely. He suggested stricter laws against abuses of magical power and preached against the temptations of the otherworldly power arcane magic offered. Ostracized and ridiculed by his fellow Wizards for such an outlandish suggestion, Lamazridan’s ghost still haunts his tower, filled with remorse and sadness for the folly of his fellows. Unlike other Phantom Arcanists (See the Nuclear Horrors Section), Lamazridan is friendly and sympathetic to those who he comes across. In fact, he’s downright lonely, and will do anything in his power to keep guests around…

SPORELOCK GROVE

This once enchanted Fairy Glade is the ancient home of the enigmatic Elves, a place of impossible beauty and brutal savagery even before the Grand Bang. While the Grove is still undisputedly the greenest place in the entire world, that natural beauty has been twisted and warped. The Glade is covered in massive, castle-sized mushrooms that constantly discharge hallucinogenic spores into the air that can easily drive those who breathe them in into gibbering, ravenous madmen. The Elves can function in these spores far better than non-Elves due to centuries of exposure, but even they have been forever mentally…touched from the stuff.

Plant and animal life in Sporelock Grove is akin to nature on steroids, with mutated beasts and flesh-eating plants being some of the other concerns one must contend with when visiting the Glade. Astonishingly tall trees stretch up into the sky and cover the Glade in a rich canopy of leaves, and the villages that dot the landscape are often times built into the very trees themselves.

Non-Elves wishing to travel in Sporelock Grove must roll a Spore check in the exact same fashion that they make Radiation checks. Failure grants one “Insanity” point. When someone gains more Insanity Points than half their Smarts die, they have a permanent case of “Spore Madness”, and roll a d6, consulting the chart below. Someone with Spore Madness is constantly covered in a hazy, gaseous spore cloud and has a wild, frantic look about them.

1. Comatose: You immediately drift into a comatose state from which you will never awaken. While comatose, you will not age, and will simply remain in a state of eternal, blissful sleep.

2. Berserk: You go into a wild, mad rage, attacking anything and everything in sight. You lose all reason and will most certainly be put down like a rabid dog…

3. Seed of Life: Mushrooms sprout out of your skin, and your flesh turns into a rigid, thick bark-like substance. The good news is that you gain +1 Armor, but suffer -2 Charisma due to your odd appearance. Fire also deals +4 damage to you.

4. Mind Fog: You immediately forget who you are, losing all recollection of your past. 

5. Touched: You gain the Delusional (Minor) Hindrance.

6. Insanity: You gain the Delusional (Major) Hindrance.

Gandrigal: The oldest ancestral city of the Elven people is the mystical and enchanted city known as Gandrigal. Strange stone formations dot the landscape of the city, and grand barrier of thorned vines protects its dwellers from attack from outside dangers. The air of this ancient place is thick with spores, and no non-Elves live within its hallowed borders. The Spores are simply too intense for any non-Elf to tolerate around the city.  

Tusk Town: This Hunter’s community is surrounded by some of the most impressive “natural” game in all of the Wasteland. The settlement of Tusk Town is comprised mainly of woodsmen and big game hunters who all try and one up their rivals by bringing down the biggest, most cunning kills. While Elves frown at excessive and unnecessary hunting in general, Tusk Town is key to Sporelock Grove’s meat and pelt trade, and a healthy rivalry between Elf and Ogre hunters has developed through the years.

Deepwind: Perhaps the most relaxed and groovy place in the Known World, Deepwind is a place where good vibes and positive thoughts are the laws of the land. Some say the folks in Deepwind are super-hippies of the first order, believing that peace, love and positive vibrations are the only way to live life. As you might expect, recreational substance use is rather popular among the residents of Deepwind, and this non-violent commune is filled with artists, dreamers, and idealists all looking for heightened perception and spiritual enlightenment.

RILGARD

The Dwarves once boasted the grandest technological empire in the world, but the Grand Bang turned their sprawling steam-powered workshops into rusted junkyards and collapsed ghost towns. While Rilgard has fared better than most of the Kingdoms in the world due to its subterranean structures, countless Dwarven lives were lost as entire towns were swallowed up in collapsed earth and shifting tectonic plates as the world rumbled from the Grand Bang.

Rilgard is a land of stretching, impossibly shaped canyons and breathtaking rock formations as far as the eye can see. Dwarven towns and cities are cleverly tucked away in an underground maze of subterranean tunnels and treacherous canyon pathways. Pools of bubbling, boiling hot tar have claimed more than a few who could not maintain their footing in this perilous place. While it may have seen better days, Rilgard is still the undisputed center of culture and academia remaining on Planet X. Dwarves are very cerebral beings, and as such, their homeland is littered with theatres, universities, and museums. While much was lost during the catastrophic Grand Bang, the Dwarves are heck-bent on rebuilding their once mighty kingdom to its former glory.

Librum: The center of Dwarven learning and education, Librum is a massive underground city that holds the great Library of Librum, housing the greatest assortment of lore anywhere on Planet X. It is from this hallowed place that the histories of things has been recorded and faithfully stored, and the even after the Grand Bang, the Dwarves have retained startlingly clear records of historical events from numerous scholars and chroniclers. Access to the Great Library is heavily restricted, and applicants who wish to browse the endless tomes and scrolls there must first pass an exhaustive mental exam, with their final grade determining how deep into the Library they may enter.

Cellany: A haven for the arts and stage, Cellany was the most cultured place in the world before the Grand Bang and remains so even after. Theaters, museums and galleries fill this spirited city, and artists of all stripe flock to Cellany to revel in whatever beauty is left in the irradiated world. All manner of art is highly praised within the borders of Cellany, and its population is an eclectic blend of vivid personalities.

Gizradon: Once the technical capital of Rilgard, Gizradon was once bustling with workshops and forges that spewed forth brilliant contraptions and inventions that boggled the mind. It was here that the inquisitive Dwarves unlocked the secrets of Black Powder Weapons, but now Gizradon is a ruin akin to a giant junkyard filled with the husks of long-neglected contraptions. Those unfortunate souls who live in this depressing town eke out a living by digging through the scrap piles in search of anything of worth they might sell.  

OGLAND

This curious realm of Ogland wasn’t a tourist destination before the Grand Bang, and certainly isn’t now. Most of the terrain is parched and cracked flatlands covered in craters that constantly and randomly belch forth boiling hot steam. The wildlife of Ogland is a strange blend of Mutated prehistoric creatures that seem to delight in terrorizing any living thing that attempts to scurry away from them. The landscape is decorating in the massive skeletal remains of these mutated dinosaur abominations, and Ogre settlements seem to always be placed in the center of all the action, and fall constant victim to marauding mutated beasts.

Even the weather in Ogland is dangerous, with fist sized flaming meteorites taking the place of rainfall. Say what you will about Ogres, but they sure do hate things nice and quiet, and it seems that every other day brings a new calamity or fight for the burly residents of Ogland to hurl themselves into. Settlements in Ogland are highly clannish, and every Ogre thinks the town they were born in is the toughest and best, and will fight anyone who dares to be born someplace else. This kind of neighborhood rivalry is an essential part of Ogre life, and even non-Ogres living in Ogland can get caught up in a pride for their home. Due to this, rumbles between neighboring towns is quite a common occurrence.

Rumble City: There is no rowdier place in all of Planet X than the capital city of the Ogres. Perilously built around a large volcano that constantly spits up a stream of roiling hot magma, Rumble City is home to the prized Big Rumble Arena, where the toughest gangs fight for glory and honor in front of a howling, raucous crowd of onlookers. Fortunes are won and lost at the arena, and it is a veritable buffet for bloodthirsty Ogres and non-Ogres alike.

Sudmug: This…spirited town is the home of Master Booze Brewer Puckolo, who makes some of the very best brew to ever touch an Ogre’s lips. It is from here that Puckolo teaches the secrets of his craft and runs his massive brewery. The town of Sudmug kind of grew around him, and he is defacto Chief of the place. Any with a taste for booze are welcome, and many of Puckolo’s apprentices study under him here.

Yigzagoda: The petty Ogre Warlord Uktangak rules over Yigzagoda with an iron fist, demanding hefty tribute from his subjects for his protection. While the people hate Uktangak with a passion due to his wild demands of daily tribute, he remains in power only because no one as of yet has been strong enough to depose him. Yigzagoda is built inside the skull of a giant dinosaur that protects those inside the city from the deadly raining balls of magma that rain down from Ogland’s turbulent skies.   

THE BADLANDS

When one thinks of a stereotypical nuclear Wasteland, they envision the badlands. Mile after mile of sun-drenched brush is littered with deadly and disorientating sandstorms, cacti, quicksand patches, drifting tumbleweeds and some of the most diverse and…strange wildlife found on Planet X. The Badlands are aptly named, as life here is a struggle at best, but strangely, many of the most well-known settlements and towns dot the landscape. Say what you will about those who choose to live in the Badlands, but they are a spunky and resilient bunch. The cloudless sky of the Badlands sizzles as the burning fragments of the sun seem within clutching distance, but the nights are freezing cold and possess fiendishly bitter and whipping winds.

The reason for this population boom in recent years is purely because of rumors of a lush, green and virgin oasis that is said to be somewhere in the Badlands. Adventurers of all stripes quest through the Badlands in search of this fabled place, and before too long, the Badlands were being settled at an increased rate. Adventure and curious characters abound the sweltering Badlands, as do chances for fame, riches, and the perilous dangers that guard them.

Bingo: This experimental city is causing quite a commotion, and is rapidly growing into one of the most promising settlements in the Known World. Bingo is run by the idealist Gnome Mayor Londrick Lozzle, who has built Bingo with complete and total equality in mind. All peaceful folks can find refuge within Bingo’s borders, and Humans, Warpers, and even Klackers can find a home there as long as violence is kept to a healthy minimum. Every day more and more flock to Bingo, seeing it as a place where one can start anew and find solace from the horrors of the Wasteland.

Gootopia Beach: This mythical radiation-free place may or may not exist, and is said to be a gorgeous oasis somewhere in the Badlands where the sand is warm and the water is cool. Palm trees produce sway lazily in the breeze, causing a steady rain of coconuts that can easily feed a lucky sap for life who is lucky enough to find the place. Some fevered souls claim to have seen Gootopia from afar when wandering the Wasteland, only to have it cruelly vanish like some mirage. Others claim that the place is a fairy tale myth made up by the Mentarium to lure unwary wanderings into their vile clutches. Nonetheless, more and more adventurous souls flood into the Badlands in search of any sort of clue that Gootopia Beach actually exists.

Omen: This deadly city is home of the nefarious Mentarium, and is said to be the site of their unholy rites and dark meetings. No one has entered Omen and lived to tell what exactly goes on there, and only wild rumors depict the strangeness that the nutcases in the Mentarium must be up to. Omen was built on the site of the very first recorded Girth Worm attack, and many believe that the Mentarium worship the Girth Worm for its potent mind-melting Psionic powers. Omen is surrounded by a constantly raging sandstorm that can easily sweep up those poor souls who wander too close to its borders. More than one horror story has arisen about someone walking into a great sandstorm and suddenly coming face to face with strange hooded (and hungry) figures. As you might expect, the Mentarium is always willing to personally greet visitors who wander into their domain.

NADDERBOG

This murky, depressing landscape is a vast and never-ending swamp, complete with withered black trees, sweltering humidity and sludge-filled pools of muck that make ground travel difficult. Nadderbog is sparsely populated, but it does have a few notable settlements. This desolate place is widely known as a haven for those who don’t want to be found, or those that society in general shuns. Criminals, Humans, runaway Warpers and other undesirables often find Nadderbog to be the only place where they can eke out a life unnoticed by the general populace.

Slugmire: This disgusting little place is ruled by the Dwarf Crime Lord Zerander, who is the head of the criminal syndicate known as the Marsh Maggots, who specialize in high price assassination. The Marsh Maggots have their headquarters in this sleazy, slimy town, and as you might expect, it’s a den of vice, gambling and crime. Life is truly at its cheapest in Slugmire, and only the foolish travel the streets unarmed.

THE HIVE

This arid realm is comprised mostly of flatland surrounding an endless terrain of skyscraper sized ant hills. Aptly named, The Hive is the homeland of the Klackers, who are mutated insects given sentience by the Grand Bang. The Klackers are led by the brutal warlord known as King Buzztor, who’s xenophobic views of Insectoid superiority over the “Fleshy” species of the world has led to a division amongst the Klacker people. Once universally supported, Buzztor’s views became more and more extreme, until he began commanding Slaver parties of Klackers to venture forth into the Wasteland and bring back Fleshy slaves to toil in his underground Salt Mines.

While he still has an iron grip on power in The Hive, many Klackers find his methods unnecessarily brutal, and more and more Klackers flee The Hive every day and take up residence outside of their cruel and power-mad King’s borders. Buzztor plots daily in his grand palace, amassing an army of loyal and devoted soldiers whom he plans on someday unleashing upon the Wasteland so that he can expand the boundaries of his bloody kingdom.

Fleshfall: The seat of King Buzztor’s power, Fleshfall is the location of Buzztor’s maze-like underground salt mines where all of those enslaved by the Klackers toil in agony. The city is one hundred percent devoted to their King and his warped views, espousing the superiority of all Bug-Kind over all other beings on Planet X. The laws of the city are draconian and strictly enforced, with any kind of disagreement with King Buzztor or his views being tantamount to treason, with a sentence of stern, harsh and sudden execution.